(indieWIRE: 03.01.02) — Next week’s New York Underground Film Festival(NYUFF) will have an unlikely visitor, infamous homophobic minister FredPhelps who is condemning the event as “fag propaganda.” The news of Phelp’sintention to picket the festival will end up being a major PR hit for allinvolved: the festival, Phelps, and a new documentary about the minister —a movie that isn’t even playing during the event.

“Its nothing but a gaggle of tired old fudgepackers and muffdivers trying toshock each other with their jaded filth,” Phelps says in news releasepromoting the demonstration at the Festival. The announcement was forwardedto indieWIRE yesterday by the NYUFF and is set to be picked up by mainstreamnews outlets this weekend.

Phelps apparently caught wind of the underground festival after “Fred TheMovie,” a new documentary about him, was submitted to the Festival byfilmmaker Steve Drain and later rejected by NYUFF programmers.

Betty Phelps, the minister’s daughter-in-law, confirmed for indieWIREyesterday that Fred Phelps would indeed be at the New York Underground FilmFestival on March 9th, even though the doc will not. “The reason for usbeing there is to protest the filth,” commented Betty Phelps in theconversation with indieWIRE yesterday. She indicated that about 20 peopleare traveling to New York from Kansas as part of their entourage. She alsosaid that the group will make an appearance uptown at HBO earlier in theday, to protest their upcoming movie, “The Laramie Project,” about thehorrific gay-bashing death of college student Matthew Shepard inLaramie, WY.

Phelps has been an outspoken advocate against Shepard. The preacher tauntedmourners in a demonstration at his funeral and Phelps has created a websitewhich includes propaganda condemning Shepard. “The Laramie Project,” whichincludes scenes depicting homophobic protestors like Phelps, opened thisyear’s Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church information promoting next week’s protest inNew York says that the NYUFF is misrepresenting itself as a “consumer”festival. He contends, in the flyer sent to indieWIRE, that the NYUFF israther a “fag propaganda mill masquerading as a film fest.” The news releasealso includes drawings of protest signs with the messages, “Thank God forSept. 11,” “NYC FDNY Fags,” and “God Hates NYC Fags.”

Festival chief Ed Halter is welcoming the increased attention at hisdowntown New York City event. “We are considering naming him an honorarypublicist for the festival,” Halter told indieWIRE last night. Asked how hewill handle the demonstration, Halter seems unfazed by the hateful messagesthat will be presented outside his event. He also indicated that he may tryto meet the minister. “I will probably thank him for the publicity, and Imay try to introduce him to my Mom,” Halter said.

“Fred The Movie,” the documentary about Phelps, screened at the AnchorageFilm Festival in December and will screen at the Washington DC Indie Festnext week, as well as the Hollywood Underground Film Festival in May.

“The film that I made more accurately and fairly depicts the church’sministry than any print or news story,” Drain told indieWIRE yesterday. Whenasked for his assessment of Phelps, Drain offered, “I think he has morehonesty and integrity in him then anyone I’ve ever met, he’s going to tellyou what’s on his mind. He honestly believes he’s serving God, (he)honestly believes that in his heart.”

indieWIRE has not seen the film, but according to Halter the film “errs onthe supportive side.” However, Halter clarified that its slant is nottotally clear. Finally, he added that the movie was rejected by theFestival because, “It is not a very well made doc.” Betty Phelps toldindieWIRE that she and Fred Phelps have seen the movie, adding that it“pretty accurately portrays” their message.

Drain indicated that he has submitted his film to numerous gay and lesbianfilm festivals, but thus far has been met with rejections. “There isn’tanything more relevant to the gay community than a film about someone whosays what you do is wrong,” Drain countered. “I know people who are gay whohave watched this film who say that it has journalistic integrity.”

Asked to speak about his own views of the church and its message, thefilmmaker remained coy, saying flatly, “This isn’t a film about what SteveDrain thinks.” However he is blunt about his stance that media outlets havethus far failed to accurately portray Phelps and his church. “I’ve seenliterally hundreds of news stories about this church and this church’sministry — the easiest thing to do is to come to a church like that andshoot stuff that makes them look like a bunch of buffoons.” Continuing headded, “Just because they have a viewpoint that is not popular doesn’t meanthat they are not sincere — I am not doing the same kind of yellowjournalism — like them or hate them its like a train wreck, you’ve got tolook.”

Halter admitted that he was initially concerned about the impact of Phelps’propaganda being presented outside his Festival, but he added that in a way,Phelp’s is “gay people’s best friend.” Explaining, Halter added, “He is sucha lunatic, he is giving a bad name to homophobia — he’s a kook, he paintsthat kind of stance as crazy and demonic.” [Eugene Hernandez and BrianBrooks]

>> Content Inks Furst/WMA Deal, Goes “Hebrew”

(indieWIRE/ 03.01.02) — As the band of upstart distibution companies continueto battle for position and branding identity in the specialty film arena,Edward R. Pressman and John Schimdt‘s ContentFilm has begun flexing its financing muscles. The company has entered into a two-year “strategic alliance”with Furst Films, the L.A.-based production house run by Sean Furst, and WMA Independent, the independent film representation division of the William Morris Agency, which is co-headed by Rena Ronson and Cassian Elwes.

Under the Furst Film/WMA deal, potential DV projects will be evaluated andbrought to Pressman and Schmidt by producer Sean Furst and his company, whichwill develop and ultimately produce those projects to which ContentFilm givesa green light and chooses to finance. Development will be headed by FurstFilms’ Bryan Furst, who will serve as co-producer as the films are shot.Along with bringing agency talent into the mix, WMA Independent may alsohelp identify additional financing, assist in packaging the projects and,on a case-by-case basis, assist in the project’s possible sale.

The first product of this new alliance, and the first feature to be greenlitby ContentFilm since the company was launched in September, is “The Cooler,”a dark comedy set in Las Vegas starring William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. Set to begin production in May, the film was written by Frank Hannah andWayne Kramer and and will be directed by Kramer. Sean Furst and MichaelPierce of Pierce-Williams are producing, and Content’s Pressman, Schmidtand Alessando Camon will executive produce along with Brett Morrison and Robert Gryphon of L.A.-based Gryphon Films.

“Industry response to ContentFilm has been tremendous since we launchedthe company,” said Pressman in a prepared statement. “This alliance withSean, in conjunction with the additional expertise of Rena, Cassian andWilliam Morris, will allow us to move quickly to meet our goal of makingabout a dozen films in the next couple of years.”

In a separate deal, Content has greenlit “The Hebrew Hammer,” an actioncomedy starring Adam Goldberg. Jonathan Kesselman will direct the film,which will be produced by his brother Josh. Described as a “Jewxploitation”picture in the vein of “Shaft,” the film tells the story of Mordechai(Goldberg), a handsome, Orthodox stud who goes on a mission to saveHanukkah. ContentFilm hopes to begin production on the film in New Yorkby late April. [Matthew Ross]